Johann Zarco made a sweet surprise on Friday at MotoGP Aragon. After three months out through injury, the LCR Honda rider was immediately competitive, securing direct Q2 promotion in Practice. It was a performance that brought huge relief to a team that had to cope without him for six races.
Zarco’s Turn 1 crash at the Catalan MotoGP in mid-May sidelined him with injuries, and during his absence LCR leaned on rookie Diogo Moreira and stand-in Cal Crutchlow. The team’s best result in that tough stretch was Moreira’s sixth place in Hungary, while Crutchlow crashed in three of his six replacement rides.
His return was originally planned for September, but his recovery progressed faster than expected, allowing him to come back this weekend at Aragon. Despite the earlier-than-planned return, Zarco lapped normally in both sessions and found strong pace in Practice, enough to grab the final direct Q2 spot.
For LCR boss Lucio Cecchinello, Zarco’s Friday performance is proof of what motivation can achieve. “It’s another very nice story of what MotoGP riders can do, and what human beings can do when they have a target, when they have some motivation to be back, be stronger, and be back fighting again,” he told the MotoGP world feed. “I have no words, I’m really touched.”
Cecchinello added that not only LCR but also Honda needed Zarco back and competitive. “Especially because we’ve been through a very tough period, we’ve been worried for him,” he said. “Also, I don’t hide from you that we pushed a lot all the doctors around him to let him be back as soon as possible, because we really needed him, Honda needed him, MotoGP needed him.”
“To see what he has achieved today– it’s only Friday, but it’s already a big relief for us,” he concluded. Now, Zarco’s challenge is to maintain this form through qualifying and the race.
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